So again nothing new here Tom

Feb 11, 2017

So yesterday the city's top public servant got in front of the cameras and offered up his latest "vision" for the Spit, which ironically now is all about creating a "Central Park" for the residents to enjoy forever.

Sound familiar?

Of course it does, but it is what he is not telling you that is more important. You see, when he says he is "drawing a line north of Seaworld" that line is already there. It has been for decades. Nothing new there.

When he says "We will create a new park", well the area is already a "park". Not only that, it is not his land to create anything on as it is controlled by the Qld State Government through the GCWA.

When he says "We will create a new park", well the area is already a "park". Not only that, it is not his land to create anything on as it is controlled by the Qld State Government through the GCWA. The GCCC can put in a submission to alter the purpose of the land, but it is not theirs to "change". Similarly, think of this. His plan does not give the city any extra "parkland" at all, in fact, if his ridiculous offshore CST gets the nod, we will actually LOSE a significant area of existing parkland.

Mr Tate also stated that his plan involves greening the whole of his new park using A+ treated water diverted from the city's waste water system. Again, nothing new here, in fact Friends of Federation walk have been using this same recycled tertiary treated water in the area Tate is describing since 2004 when they received a $44,000 grant from the GCCC to install their own system off the grid. GCCC minutes as recent as 11/12/15 (no: 710) also show that Friends of Federation Walk were given another $35,000 by the GCCC to purchase a Polaris vehicle with a tank installed on it to help better distribute the recycled water on the site.

So again, nothing new here from the city's top public servant. What he is actually saying to the community is, I'll give you all of this new "parkland" as long as you allow us to develop every last piece of beachfront land south of Seaworld. Let ASF, Sunland, Star everyone in to build as high as they like, and magnificent me will reward you with something that you already have! And the gullible have bought into it yet again.

3 storey height limit anyone? Why should ASF and Sunland be exempt from following our City Plan?.

3 storey height limit anyone? Why should ASF and Sunland be exempt from following our City Plan?

However, what he wasn't telling anyone yesterday is about his real plans for the Spit. About how the GCCC under his stewardship has been researching ways to build a sewerage ocean outfall via his oceanside CST, and another through the Broadwater to South Stradbroke Island, across the island and then straight through the main peak and 2 km's out to sea. This pipeline will greatly impact the local marine and land environment, and potentially destroy the surf break at South Straddy, one of the greatest beach breaks on the planet.

SOSA has long supported better use of our treated water assets on the Gold Coast and thanks to an invite from the Gold Coast Water and Waste Department at City of Gold Coast, we have been engaging on your behalf to make sure that we get a better outcome for our city than the outdated technology of an ocean outfall.

But again, please focus on the task at hand, have your voice heard through the (flawed) current consultation process.

Mr Tate has offered our city nothing new here. In fact, what he is offering with one hand, he is taking away with the other, while his whole scheme around his offshore CST is still shrouded in secrecy.

Mr Tate has offered our city nothing new here. In fact, what he is offering with one hand, he is taking away with the other, while his whole scheme around his offshore CST is still shrouded in secrecy.